[Princess Cruises](/cruise-lines/princess) and [Holland America Line](/cruise-lines/holland-america) are the two cruise lines that consistently get shortlisted by travelers in their 60s and 70s. They share more than they differ — both are owned by Carnival Corporation (the world's largest cruise-line parent company), both lean destination-led rather than ship-led, and both have audiences that skew older than [Royal Caribbean](/cruise-lines/royal-caribbean)'s or [Carnival](/cruise-lines/carnival)'s. But on the dimensions that actually matter to a booking, they sit in different places. This piece walks through the comparison dimension by dimension — ship size, audience profile, dining program, onboard technology, itinerary depth, and the specific scenarios where each line is the better pick — with the framework for choosing between them.
On the ship size
Princess sails larger ships — the [Royal-class](/articles/princess-discovery-class-buyers-guide) is 3,560 guests across seven sister hulls (Royal, Regal, Majestic, Sky, Enchanted, Discovery Princess), and the newer Sphere-class (Sun Princess, Star Princess) is 4,300 guests. [Holland America's Pinnacle-class](/articles/holland-america-pinnacle-class-review) tops out around 2,650 guests across three sister hulls (Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam). The smaller Vista-class and Signature-class Holland America ships run 1,400–2,100 guests.
For travelers who specifically want a quieter onboard rhythm, fewer crowd points, shorter elevator queues, and a calmer pool deck culture, Holland America wins this dimension by a meaningful margin. The 700–1,000 fewer guests per sailing translates into a noticeably different ship rhythm — buffet at peak feels less crowded, the main dining room turnover is smoother, the pool deck has more lounger availability.
On the audience
Holland America skews demonstrably older. A typical Caribbean sailing on Holland America runs 60+ on average, 65+ on Alaska. Princess runs about a decade younger across its itinerary book — 50+ on Caribbean, 55–60 on Alaska. Travelers who want to feel like they're traveling with peers rather than the youngest on the ship will read this gap differently in different directions.
For a 65-year-old couple wanting to be among peers, Holland America is the more comfortable fit. For a 55-year-old couple wanting an older-skewing crowd but not the oldest-skewing crowd, Princess sits in the right place. For 70+ travelers wanting the most quiet, traditional, peer-aligned cruise experience, Holland America is the right pick by a wide margin.
On the dining
Both lines have credible main dining room programs. Holland America's (Rudi Sodamin's culinary partnership, the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse, the Le Cirque-themed dining nights) is the more consistently-rated of the two; Princess's is broader, with a larger range of specialty venues at lower per-cover prices.
For a culinary-led booking, Holland America has the slight edge — the Pinnacle Grill specifically is widely regarded as the strongest specialty venue in the mass-premium category. For variety-led travelers, Princess does — the Sphere-class ships have an unusually deep specialty-dining footprint (Love by Britto, the Catch by Rudi, Crown Grill, Sabatini's all on the same hull). The Holland America buffet (the Lido Market) is meaningfully better than the Princess equivalent for travelers who buffet-graze through their cruise.
On the technology
Princess's MedallionClass wearable is a real differentiator and Holland America has nothing equivalent. The ability to find your party anywhere on the ship via the OceanView app, order a drink delivered to your deck chair from the app, and skip the embarkation queue with the wearable is a genuine experience improvement — and the Holland America audience hasn't been pulled into asking for it.
This will read as a Princess plus to younger 60-somethings and as immaterial (or actively unwanted) to most 70-somethings. The MedallionClass is intuitive within 24 hours of boarding for most travelers, but for genuinely tech-averse cruisers, the Holland America "physical card and key" model is more familiar.
On the itinerary depth
Holland America publishes longer itineraries than any other major line — 14- and 21-night Caribbean repositionings, 35-night Hawaii runs, full world-cruise segments that run 100+ days. Princess offers 10–14-day itineraries credibly and runs [Alaska cruisetours](/articles/alaska-cruise-when-to-book) that integrate land lodges, but doesn't go as deep on the longer-itinerary end.
For travelers wanting a 21-day Caribbean-and-South-America repositioning or a 35-night Hawaii round-trip, Holland America is the right pick by default — Princess simply doesn't offer comparable itineraries at the same scale. For travelers wanting a 7–10-day mainstream itinerary with the strongest land-tour integration, Princess wins.
On the Alaska program specifically
Both lines run strong Alaska programs and both are top-three Alaska bookings for 60+ travelers. The decision splits on three axes:
- **Cruisetour integration** — Princess wins decisively. The brand's owned-and-operated wilderness lodges in Denali and Mt. McKinley, the rail-car program connecting them, and the motorcoach transfers between segments are an integrated land-tour product no other major line matches.
- **Ship-only Alaska experience** — Holland America wins. The smaller Pinnacle-class ship feels noticeably calmer in the smaller Alaska ports, the dining program is stronger, and the brand's Alaska-focused programming (the EXC Talks naturalist lectures, the regional-cuisine menu rotations) is genuinely well-executed.
- **Pricing** — Comparable. Both lines price aggressively against each other in the Alaska market.
For a 7-night Alaska cruise without the land program, Holland America is the slightly better pick. For a 14-day Alaska cruisetour, Princess is the right pick by a wide margin.
On cabin product
Princess's Royal-class and Sphere-class cabins are noticeably more modern in design language — the Sphere-class cabin product specifically is one of the strongest in the mass-premium category. Holland America's Pinnacle-class cabins are credible but lean traditional in design — wood paneling, brass fittings, conservative color palette. For travelers who specifically value a modern hotel-room feel, Princess wins. For travelers who want the traditional cruise-cabin aesthetic, Holland America wins.
The decision framework
Book Princess if you want a 7–14-day Alaska cruisetour with land-lodge integration, you'd use the MedallionClass tech, and you're 50–65 with a partner of similar age. Book Holland America if you want a longer destination-led itinerary, a smaller ship, a stronger culinary program, and you're 65+ and traveling with peers.
For an Alaska cruise specifically, both are credible — Princess for the cruisetour integration, Holland America for the smaller ship and more refined dining. For a Caribbean cruise, Princess for the larger range of activities and the modern cabin product, Holland America for the calmer rhythm and the stronger dining. For a long destination-led world-cruise segment (20+ nights), Holland America by default.
Bundled fare structures: Princess Plus vs Have It All
Both lines have moved to bundled fare structures over the past three years, and the structures are similar enough that the comparison is genuinely useful. Princess Plus ($65 per day per guest) bundles the Plus Beverage Package (per-drink ceiling $15), MedallionNet WiFi (one device per guest), and crew gratuities. Princess Premier ($85 per day) extends to the Premier Beverage Package (per-drink ceiling $20), unlimited WiFi, two specialty-dining meals, and unlimited photo downloads. Holland America's Have It All ($50–$80 per day depending on itinerary length) bundles the Signature Beverage Package (per-drink ceiling $11), Surf WiFi, crew gratuities, and one signature shore excursion per port day.
The structurally meaningful difference is the shore excursion in the Have It All bundle — for travelers who'd take a tour in every port anyway, that pulls Have It All to roughly even or better cost-per-night vs. the equivalent Princess Plus + à-la-carte tours combination. For travelers who skip most shore excursions or prefer independent tours, Princess Plus is the better-priced bundle.
Solo travelers on both lines
Neither Princess nor Holland America has Norwegian-style dedicated Studio cabins, which means solo travelers face the standard 100% single supplement on both lines. Princess occasionally publishes solo-rate sailings (typically the longer Asia or world-cruise segments) with reduced single supplements in the 50–75% range; Holland America does this less frequently. For solo travelers in the 60+ demographic specifically, both lines run dedicated singles' programming (the Solo Travelers' meet-and-greet, an organized dinner-table-mate matching service, and singles-only excursion options on most sea-day-heavy itineraries) — Holland America's program is the more developed, but the difference is modest.
Frequently asked questions
**Are Princess and Holland America really owned by the same company?** Yes — both are subsidiaries of Carnival Corporation. The brands operate independently with different positioning and different fleets, but share some back-office systems and cross-brand loyalty-program elements.
**Should you book the longer Holland America itineraries even if you've never cruised before?** Probably not — start with a 7-night sailing to evaluate the brand fit, then book a longer itinerary if the experience matches what you wanted. The 21-day-plus segments are a meaningful commitment in time and money.
**Is the Princess MedallionClass wearable required to wear, or can you skip it?** Required. The wearable replaces the cabin key and the folio card; you can't opt out. Most travelers find it intuitive within 24 hours of boarding, including travelers in their 70s and 80s.
**Which line is better for a couple in their late 50s?** Princess by default — the audience profile is more peer-aligned and the modern ship product feels right for the demographic. Holland America is credible but you'll be on the younger end of the passenger mix.
**Which line has the better main dining room program?** Holland America by a slight edge — the Rudi Sodamin partnership and the more consistent menu rotation give it the advantage. Princess is competitive but the kitchen execution varies more between sailings.
